Avatar the Last Airbender: The  End of A Legacy
by Xanatos Stones
Summary: What would happen if an energy bending attack were to go wrong? A teenage girl attempting to convince the world that the long forgotten art of air-bending was more than something for scientific study, brings herself into direct opposition with this evil.
1. Chapter 1: The Underbelly

**Chapter One; The Underbelly**

"But why?" Adriana whined impatiently as she followed her sister around the house.

Adriana was small, only about 4' 6" inches, and twelve years old. She wore a small purple dress, long and flowing, the pinacle of fashion. Lotus flowes had been emblazoned upon it. Her deep teal eyes were lit with excitement, and her perfectly smooth face emphasized her childish beauty. She grasped onto Janine's long-sleeved leather jacket as she spoke.

Janine was in many ways the opposite of her sister. She wasn't really beautiful, more dark and rugged. Her brown eyes had a burgundy tint to them, and reflected a solid toughness. There were markings on her face that hinted at scars that had mostly faded away. She dresed in a jacket and a long pair of men's pants, totally against society's norm. She was also slightly taller than the average height, almost six foot.

Janine rolled her eyes and glanced impatiently at her. "Because using air bending is an art. An ancient and almost forgotten one. You cannot use it as a toy!" Her dark blueish hair, dyed despite her mother's protests, hung over her face. She had brushed it away from her left eye, but let it cover her other one.

Adriana rolled her eyes. "But it is fun." She closed her eyes and held out her hands, as wind whipped through the room. Paintings were torn off of walls. Couches were knocked over. Janine simply stood her ground. After only a moment, Adriana stopped.

"I told Mom teach you was a bad idea," Janine muttered to herself. "Now clean this up. I need to go." Then she turned and stormed out of the room.

Adriana surveyed the mess she'd made. Then she laughed. It would be simple enough. Holding out her hand, she used updrafts to carefully put everything back where it was supposed to go. Then she sprinted out the door after Janine.

Today was a special day for the people of Air Nation, a small self-run city dedicated to the lost art of Air bending. 250 years had passed since the death of the last air bender when a small group of scholars decided to go back to the basics and learn air-bending from the endangered air-bison species. Over the 50 following years, the group had grown to about 50,000. For the people learning and studying there, air bending was an art. There were, of course, the rule breakers.

Janine glanced back and forth, after slipping around a corner by her house. When she was sure nobody was looking, she sent a blast of air through a small hole in the side of the alley wall. Quickly pushing on the wall, it swung to the side, and she slipped in. On the other side was an empty plot of grass and a few prickly bushes. Janine shot a blast of air at the spot in the very middle of the yard and a combination steel door was under it. Typing in 06-05-424, it swung open, and Janine slipped inside. As she closed the door, everything moved back to its proper place. Janine opened one last door and was flooded with flashing lights, The Underbelly.

The Underbelly was a scaled down version of Las Vegas. It was the party area, and the danger sector. It was here that society's undesirables made their home. Janine slowly made her way through the maze of buildings, studying the makes. It was a game of hers. See how many new buildings had popped up between her monthly visits.

Janine made her way down a familiar passageway. It was dangerous, her life, and although she enjoyed it, she wanted to keep Adriana as far away from it as possible. When she at last came to a stop, it was outside of what appeared to be some kind of dojo. "Air Battles" was etched out of the doorposts. Janine nodded her head at the door and sent it flying open. "The Vortex is here!" she announce with a snarl as the people in the room stopped their fights to glance in her direction. "I have come to be challenged. Who wants to try their luck?"

"Vortex?" the man in charge of the fighting ring said, pulling his mini-calender out of his pocket to double-check. He was dressed in a torn brown dress shirt, and nice leather pants to match. His hands were covered with dozens of different sized rings, and thy could be heard clinking as he moved. Reviewing it, he nodded his head. The he looked up into Janine's face, and spoke. "I thought so. People were expecting you this evening. That _is_ when you said you'd show... Isn't it?"

Janine glanced around at the other air-boxers. They were all staring at her rather wide-eyed, like rabbits who had been cornered by a fox. Newbies, she thought with a roll of her eyes. "Well, that's inconvenient for you, isn't it Sylvester?" Then she sighed and said, "I do not control my time as much as I would like. There is somewhere that I have to be this evening."

"But the betting..." Sylvester protested helplessly. "What am I supposed to tell my customers?"

Janine simply raised her eyebrows. "Betting? Who in their right mind would bet against me? I mean, I've never lost a single fight, regardless of who you decide to throw my way."

"Aaronius will be here tonight," Sylvester said awkwardly, obviously not wanting to tell that news to Janine. Janine's eyes flew open in shock. Sylvester continued, "Apparently people have been boasting about your skills in the outside world." Janine glanced around at the newbies, and they all nodded their heads in excitement. Janine turned and shot a death glare at Sylvester

"I never agreed to any such match, Sylvester!" Grabbing his shirt and pulling him close, she hissed into his ear, "I have no desire to get burned or fried by a firebender, especially one as good as him! What in the world made you think you could do this without asking me first?" Janine spat angrily.

"I'm in charge of an illegal Air Battles ring, it's kinda what I do. Besides, I figured there was no way you would refuse, if you'd heard him say the kind of things I did," Sylvester replied with a small smile.

Janine knew Sylvester well enough to be able to tell when the man was lying. His small, beady light blue eyes had narrowed even more than usual, and his slightly pointy nose was lowered. It was his normal pose for when he wanted to get something out of somebody. Janine knew that asking him would be falling into his trap, yet she was also incredibly curious. What could he possibly say that he believed would be able to convince her he was after more than just cash? "What did he say to you, Sly?"

"He said that ti was laughable to even imagine a skilled airbender. He said the two words were incompatible, said that this was why it was the only bending ever to be forgotten. Extinction proved that it was a lesser art, and that this is why only scholars pay any attention to it. His whole point is coming is to crush the heroine of Air Nation, and to put airbending back into its proper place. He wants to prove to all watching, the airbending is an inferior art."

Janine's eyes darkened. She didn't really care if Sylvester was lying to her about this or not. He'd put his finger on the one thing that had always truly bothered her. If she lost, refused to fight, or simply didn't bother to show up, people would accept what Air Nation was telling them. "Airbending is a bending of science, not of combat," they always said. "It's only purpose is research."

Suddenly, she was being given the chance to prove Air Nation wrong. If she could defeat a skilled firebender like Aaronius, she would have proven the nation wrong. Airbending's place in the world would change forever. However, in order to assure that, she'd need to take things a step further than Sylvester had planned. She was no longer going to hide her passion from the world. "Change the location, Sly," she ordered. "When I beat him, I want the world to know."

Sylvester instantly protested. "You'll be arrested, Vortex! What are you thinking? I'll be arrested! What the two of us have been doing is totally against the laws of Air Nation, and now you want to make all of that public?"

"Well," Janine replied, "we'd be able to take my skills on the road. Once I beat Aaronius, there is no way they would refuse me in the worldwide Bending Battle competitions. You'd be able to be my manager, and make way more cash then you are right now. We'd simply run away from here."

Sylvester shook his head, and an uncharacteristic frown crossed his face. "No, Vortex. Regardless of what you may think of me, I am not without an, albeit small, conscience. I will not run a 16 year old girl, especcialy you, ragged across the world just to make myself my richer. I will not allow myself to sink to that level. However, if you truly crash the ceremony by challenging Aaronius, I will tell him where to meet you. I was my hand's of the result, though. Do not mention my name unless you are completely certain the people enjoyed the performance. Show the world if you so desire, but be forewarned. Once you do, your life will never be the same."

Janine nodded her head and said, "This was your idea though, Sly. You were the one who brought Aaronius here. I'm just making the most of the oppurtunity. I will challenge him, and mark my words, The Vortex will win." Then she turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Sylvester whispered, "I believe in you. Now, of all times, we Air Battlers put our futures into your hands. I beseech you, Vortex, do not fail us."

When Janine returned to her home, she found Adriana pouting on their coach. Howeer, the moment Adriana saw her, she jumped to her feet excitedly, using airbending to do a flip alon with it. When Janine chuckled instead of scolding, Adriana's look became suspicious. Her older sisster was not acting the way she was supposed to be. "Why are you back so early, Janny?" she asked curiuosly. Then she added, "And why'd you laugh instead of get mad?"

"Things are changing, little Adri," Janine replied with a gin as she lifted her sister and spun her around with excitement and jubilation. "Aaronius is coming." Adriana's mouth dropped open in a squeel of excitement over the news and proceeded to jump up and down in excitement. Her airbending lifeted her about a foot off the ground each time. Then a look of confusion replaced her excitement. Janine frowned, momentarily confused. "What is it?"

"I don't understand, Janny. He can't be coming here. There's nobody for him to fight," Adriana pointed out.

Janine grinned and shook her head with a chuckle. "Don't worry about that. He'll find the person he's looking for." Adriana nodded her head and smiled, though she still looked somewhat uncertain. Who could he possibly be looking for in a place like Air Nation. They had no nation warriors or even unnational ones. You couldn't find somebody who simply didn't exist.

Janine continued. "Apparently, rumor has reached him that a powerful airbender lives here, a secret warrior called The Vortex. Aaronius has never fought an air-bender, and The Vortex has chaallenged him to a duel."

Adriana shook her head at the strange news. "This Vortex person is crazy. Doesn't he know that airbending isn't useful for anything besides science?"

Janine winced at what she took to be an acusation. She wasn't crazy. Vortex wasn't a guy. Most importantly, Airbending was useful for things besides science. She'd never told Adriana anything of that sort. However, she contented herself to a simple reply. "I don't know, Adri." She glanced out the window and peered into the distance as she spoke. "Aaronius finds it worthy of notice. Who are we to argue agaisn what Aaronius himself believes to be true?"


	2. Chapter 2: Aaronius Flamebringer

**Chapter Two: Aaronius Flamebringer**

A tall carriage moved slowly down a dirty, worn path. Behind it, the last bits of inhabitance were slowly disappearing from view. In front of it stretched a wasteland, with very little grass and bits of thin, dusty foliage. The carriage was pulled by two strange animals. These animals had long floppy ears, and their mouths and tongues resembled a dog's. However, they also had long legs and moved like horses.

In the front of this peculiar carriage sat a dwarf of a man, barely four foot tall. His face was worn and tired, speaking of a lifetime of difficulties and stress. His eyes were a dark green, and his face was clean-shaven. His hair was a dark, solid black.

"This will do just fine, Salim. You may pull over here," a voice from inside the carriage spoke, and the dwarf brought the carriage to a stop.

A tall teen, about 6'3" and 19 years of age, stepped down from the carriage. His hair had been dyed a mixture of black and red, so that when he walked around, it almost appeared as if his hair were on fire. He moved with assurance and confidence, and he had a good-natured look to his appearance. The way he spoke emphasized his high ranking in society, yet he spoke graciously. Tossing a small coin purse to Salim, he said, "Thank you for your time." Then he turned and stared off into the wilderness, his eyes locked on a massive city that could barely be seen in the horizon.

Salim frowned in bewilderment as he looked the young man up and down thoughtfully. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you the rest of the way? I mean, that's a long distance to walk. It would take you a quite a while to reach it."

"No worries, good man." the teen said with a bow and a smile. "After spending as long sitting in that carriage as I have, my legs really could use the exercise. Last thing I need is to arrive totally out of shape."

"I still don't understand why you'd go this far out of your way. I mean, this is weeks away from the places you normally perform. What is the point?" As he spoke, Salim peered out into the distance at the city. "Why in the world do you want to travel there?"

"Secrecy is important," the teen said with a nod. "For complicated reasons, I do not want anybody to know that I am coming."

Salim rolled his eyes. "You've told me that already, and you know that wasn't what I was asking. I'm talking about actually challenging that upstart fool. You know you're just going to go in there and take him out in one hit, right? Why in the world would you waste so much of your time? There is a reason nobody else did."

"I don't consider it a waste of time," the teen said quietly, shaking his flaming hair. "In my opinion, everybody deserves a chance to let their dreams come true. You, me, even this airbender that you call foolish. You're exactly right when you say that nobody else would go out of their way to do what I am doing. That is why I am. I am the only one who would, and that is reason enough."

Salim raised his eyebrows. Then he looked at the town in the distance and at his carriage. "If this really means so much to you, then why are you travelling in secret? What is the point of going through all of this for somebody, if nobody ever finds out about him anyways?"

"You don't understand," the teen shook his head as he spoke. "Everybody's dreams do not have to be big and flashy. You don't need to be famous for your dreams to come true."

"You're not really one to say something like that, are you Aaronius Flamebringer?" Salim asked with a chuckle. "It truly has been an honor meeting you. You're not like most people, and I've never met someone quite as incredible as you. I look forward to our next meeting."

Aaronius nodded his head and reached out to shake Salim's hand. "If you're ever in my neighborhood, do look me up. I agree that it has been a pleasure getting to know you, my friend. Farewell Salim."

Salim climbed back up onto into his carriage and looked down at Aaronius. "With the money from this trip, I won't need to go rushing off to search for another job for a while, and when I do leave, I'll be heading back to the same place as you. So how does it sound if I meet you at this spot in about three days time? Then we can travel home together."

Aaronius smiled and said, "Well, if you really don't have anything to do, you could always ride ahead to the city. Tell them that you stopped by because you heard their ceremony was today. I'm sure they would welcome you gladly. The two of us could enjoy a few days of Air Nation society before we head home."

Salim thought for a second before nodding his head. "Seems like a good idea to me. See you in a few hours then, my friend. Let me know before you begin your Bending Battle. I've always wanted to see you fight."

"I'd be glad to. If I can do so without bringing attention to myself, that is. Since you'll be a tourist, it may not be plausible. Count on it that I will find you as soon as I can. Until later then." Aaronius directed his attention back towards the city. "I'd better get started."

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Janine and Adriana huddled together on the floor, reading over some of the scrolls that Janine had collected about Aaronius's battles. The scrolls were expensive and hard to come by, but whenever a merchant traveled to Air Nation, Janine always had money set aside in case they had any stories about the famous Bending Battler's fights. The door to the house opened suddenly, and Adriana instantly jumped to her feet.

The woman who had come in the door wore a long, flowing gown that was a mixture of the kind Adriana wore and a lab coat. It was the height of style in Air Nation. The woman's hair was pulled back behind her ears and stretched halfway down her back. The hair was a dark brown, and both flowing and beautiful. The woman had a good-natured smile and held a small brown package in her arms.

"Mom!" Adriana cried as she hugged her mom tightly. Janine carefully picked her all of her scrolls and turned to place them on top of her dresser. Their mom, Ayako, was gone often, called away to the research labs for days at a time. She had just returned from a two week expedition to the mountain a few days travel from the city. During these times, Janine was left in charge of taking care of Adriana. This put a little bit of strain between Janine and Ayako, but they dearly loved each other nonetheless.

"Guess what?" Adriana said, looking up into her mother's face. Janine, realizing what was coming, nearly dropped her precious scrolls. Setting them down quickly, she rushed out of her room and towards the door. "Janny says Aaronius is coming!" Ayako shot Janine a scolding look, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Adri, Darling," Ayako said, "Think about it. Why in the world would Aaronius come to Air Nation? There wouldn't be anybody for him to fight."

"Janny says that there is," Adriana argued. "Janny says Aaronius wants to challenge a secret…" Her eyes widened as she said that word, and she glanced in Janine's direction apologetically. Janine, for her part, had turned quite pale. "Never mind, Mom. I don't know what I'm talking about." Then she turned and raced off into the room she shared with Janine.

Ayako looked at her oldest daughter, her eyes a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. They were also twinkling, and Janine's face colored again as she allowed herself to relax. When her mother's eyes twinkled like that, it was proof that she thought what she was hearing was more humorous than serious. Leaning forward, Ayako asked, "What have you been telling your sister, Janine? Aaronius?" She shook her head and laughed. "Looks like you've been letting her read a little too much of those stories."

"It could happen," Janine replied defensively. "I dunno… Could you imagine actually being able to see a Bending Battle?" Her eyes lit up as she spoke, and Ayako smiled good-naturedly. "Aaronius and an airbender. It would be epic!"

Ayako's face had gone blank. She blinked her eyes twice before saying in utter bewilderment. "It would be both stupid and illegal. You know that air bending isn't useful as a kind of weapon. It's a science. A person can't really fight with it. If an airbender challenged a firebender, he would end up fried. You know that, Janine. Why do you think only monks studied it?"

"Because…" Janine began to protest, wanting to point out that there had been many previous avatar airbenders who had used airbending to fight. Then she decided that it wasn't really worth it. She'd show everybody soon. Until then, she'd just need to accept peoples' misunderstandings.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, as Ayako waited for an answer. When one wasn't given, she brought up the subject that Janine knew must have been on her mother's mind her entire trip home. "You can't wear that to the ceremony, Janine," Ayako said, looking her daughter's outfit up and down. "You know that I don't really care what you wear on a regular basis. You are old enough to determine that on your own. This, however, is a ceremony, and an important one. You don't want to make a bad impression on the people watching, do you?"

Janine swallowed distastefully. She knew what kind of people her mother was talking about, men who were looking for women to court. She was sixteen, after all, and was therefore eligible to be courted. However, unlike practically any other eligible sixteen year old in Air Nation, romance was not something she had much interest in. Her reasoning was simple.

If she was herself around the scientifically obsessed or shallow men of this city, she was sure that she knew exactly what the response would be. They'd act like the newbies she'd seen in The Underbelly that morning, terrified and respectful. What woman wanted a man who spent every moment of his time around her being scared of her? For Janine, putting on a gown was pretty much exactly the same thing as putting on a mask. The last thing she wanted was for some stupid idiot to fall in love with a mask she was wearing.

"Janine…" Ayako said quietly and lovingly. "You have to stop hiding from real life, sweetheart. I just want what's best for you. Please, humor me. Just this once, dress like the young lady you are."

_I am dressed like the person I am,_ Janine thought to herself quietly, wishing that she could tell her mother everything. However, telling her would only cause problems right now. As she'd seen only a few moments earlier, her mom had exactly the same view of airbending as the rest of the world. Even the people she'd spent her life fighting in The Underbelly believed airbending to be inferior. _I promise, I'll tell you everything tonight_. Janine thought quietly.

This left the issue of dealing with the gown. Earlier that day, Janine had planned on swallowing her pride and simply doing what her mother wanted. Now, though, it was not only an annoyance, but also downright dangerous. She tried to imagine what it would be like attempting to fight Aaronius while wearing a gown like Adriana's or her mother's. It was difficult, due to the fact that the scrolls never gave much description besides his fiery hair. Three things, though, were painfully obvious. She would be incredibly hampered, she would be burned, and she would lose.

She couldn't really refuse her mother, though, not when she asked like that. Swallowing hard, Janine fought with the urges within herself. She'd work it out somehow. She had to. "Alright Mom," Janine said. "I can't promise that I will enjoy it though."

Ayako's eyes lit up and she said, "I don't know about that." Then she handed the package to Janine. Taking it, Janine looked at her mother, puzzled. The statement had caught her of guard. "It's not really the most fashionable thing out there, but I made this dress for you. I figured you'd like it more than the kind I'd buy you at a store. I hope you like it. Now go try it on."

Staring at the package in bewilderment, Janine headed over to her room. Adriana watched her enter and was about to apologize for earlier when she noticed the package. "Ooooo, what is it?" She asked excitedly.

"A dress…" Janine said quietly, opening the package. "Mom made it for me." Inside was a folded, silk blue dress. Pulling it out, she simply stared at what she held in her hands. Adriana, stunned by how pretty the dress was, found herself uncharacteristically quiet. It was unlike anything that the two of them had ever seen before.

The dress was thin and light, and not heavy in the slightest. The silk caused it to move easily, and reminded Janine of the free movements of a cape. It was perhaps the most flexible piece of clothing she'd ever held before. It was soft, but not so much as to leave her uncomfortable. The skirt had been cut short, barely falling past her knees. White, short, leather-hide gloves came with it.

Janine quickly changed outfits and practiced a few airbending moves, so focused that she forgot Adriana was watching. _Yes, _she told herself, _this dress will work quite well_. It would allow her to perform moves that she hadn't really been able to perform before. She'd thought that her previous outfit had given her the perfect amount of flexibility, but began to wonder if perhaps this dress would actually work better.

As she slipped on her gloves and the turtle-seal skin boots that she always wore on special occasions, she noticed the look in Adriana's eyes. Her little sister was staring at her with an amazed and slightly taken-aback expression. "You're the one challenging Aaronius, aren't you Janny?" she whispered.

Janine nodded her head. "Yes, little Adri," she replied. Then, putting her finger to her lips, she said, "Don't tell Mom." And Adri nodded her head in obedience. Taking her little sister's hand, she headed back to the front door. _Let the ceremony begin,_ she thought with a smile._ I'm ready._


End file.
